She turned her face away in disgust, pretending she hadn't seen it.
Though it was better not to see, this was still the home she had lived in for many years, and her heart couldn't help but ache.
Going upstairs, the second floor was still a mess, as if it had been ransacked.
Her bedroom door was ajar. Standing at the entrance, she lost the courage to push it open.
She could guess what her elaborately decorated room would look like without even thinking about it.
She didn't know how long she stood there.
Finally,
She pushed the door open and stepped inside.
A suffocating feeling blocked her chest.
She took deep breaths to control her emotions, but the scene before her still made her tears flow uncontrollably.
Her room was the largest in the house.
She loved the walk-in closet in her room the most.
All her treasures were neatly categorized and stored, clean and tidy.
But now.
Her favorite bags were all gone.
Her favorite cosmetics were scattered all over the floor, leaning haphazardly.
Her pretty clothes were everywhere.
In front of her, three steps away, a snow-white short skirt lay quietly on the floor, with a footprint on it.
Xia Wanfu pursed her lips, holding back tears.
She turned her head to look elsewhere.
Half of her pink comforter dangled from the bed, the other half on the floor, and the pillow was not in its place.
Everything here broke her heart.
She couldn't even remember what it was supposed to look like.
She was once her parents' cherished darling!
All good things belonged to her.
She had abundant wealth, loving parents, and a carefree life.
But now, it was all gone.
Only now could she truly feel how happy it was to be sheltered under her parents' wings.
All storms were blocked, and she only needed to be happy.
Xia Wanfu collapsed powerlessly onto the floor, finally unable to bear it and bursting into tears.
She wept heartbrokenly and soul-crushingly.
She couldn't understand why things had become this way.
After crying, she stayed for a while longer before packing away all her important belongings.
Her ID card, graduation certificate, birth certificate, and so on.
The household registration booklet was in her parents' room, and she needed to find it.
Her parents' room was still a disaster. What broke her heart the most was the family photo placed on the bedside table.
It had fallen to the floor and shattered into pieces. The five people in the photo were covered in cracks, just like her home now.
Xia Wanfu walked straight over, carefully picked it up, and gently brushed off the glass shards.
In the photo, her father and mother sat side-by-side in chairs, with her standing behind her father.
Her arms were around his neck, her smile bright and carefree.
Her brother stood behind her mother, with one hand on her mother's shoulder, looking very close.
And beside her was another person, Xia Wantang.
Her smile was pure, clean, and tinged with caution.
Yet, she still seemed out of place in this intimate family.
Xia Wanfu's mood was complicated.
She thought.
If the Xia family hadn't gone bankrupt.
They would still be a harmonious family, living peacefully, their lives smooth and happy.
Putting away the photo, she walked directly to the vanity.
Opening the right drawer, she found her parents' various documents lying quietly inside.
She carefully packed them one by one into her bag. Finally, she discovered that the household registration booklet was missing.
Disbelieving, she searched several more times and checked other places in the room.
Still, she couldn't find it.
The household registration booklet was gone!
While important, a household registration booklet is useless to others.
Who would take her family's household registration booklet?
Xia Wanfu frowned, her mood already poor, and now even more depressed.
She wondered if Xia Yichen had taken it.
Or perhaps her parents had used it and put it somewhere else.
Lost in thought, she went downstairs.
The sound of her footsteps on the stairs startled Xia Yichen.
Xia Yichen groggily opened his eyes, the first thing he did was reach for his phone.
It was now 8:30 AM.
Xia Wanfu walked into the living room and asked, "Brother, have you seen our household registration booklet?"
Xia Yichen lazily sat up from the sofa and yawned, "What would I do with that thing?"
Xia Wanfu thought about it and agreed. The household registration booklet was only needed for certain procedures, like registering for marriage, buying a car or a house...
Wait, registering for marriage?
She suddenly remembered the trending topic online.
Ling Yucheng announced he and his girlfriend were about to get their marriage certificate.
At the time, she thought it was a marketing account trying to get traffic, so she didn't pay much attention.
But how could it be such a coincidence that her household registration booklet was missing?
The household registration booklet was usually kept in that drawer, and her parents hadn't used it for any business recently!
And Xia Wantang's household registration was still with the Xia family.
If she wanted to do something, the household registration booklet would be indispensable.
"When did you get back! You're moving out today, have you found a place to stay?"
Xia Yichen said, ordering takeout on his phone. He hadn't eaten anything last night and was starving.
Xia Wanfu took a deep breath, her face turning ashen with anger.
"You have money, and you don't have anything to do all day, can't you find a place to live yourself?"
Xia Yichen frowned impatiently.
"Stop nagging, okay? If you don't want to find one, then don't. The debt collectors will be here soon, you deal with it yourself."
Xia Wanfu clenched her fists, trembling with rage, but she was completely helpless against the scoundrel in front of her.
Suppressing the urge to curse, she gritted her teeth and said, "I've contacted a moving company. They'll take everything I can move to our hometown. If you have nowhere to stay, you can come with us.
If you don't want to go back, then you figure it out yourself. I won't take care of you."
After speaking, she took out her phone to contact someone.
Behind her, Xia Yichen roared, "Why should I go back to the hometown? I'm your brother, how can you be so heartless!"
Xia Wanfu pursed her lips, her hands trembling as she scrolled through her phone's contact list.
Two lines of tears slid down her cheeks, blurring her vision.
As soon as she finished the call, a group of people rushed in.
The leader was the same person who had come last time, followed by a boisterous group of subordinates.
He had yellow hair, wore a black casual suit, and sunglasses.
He was the debt collector, specializing in recovering debts.
After barging in, he said aggressively, "Didn't we tell you to move out within three days? Why haven't you left yet?"
Xia Wanfu forced a strained smile and said politely, "The moving company will be here soon, could you please wait a moment?"
"Hey, why should we wait for you? Our Brother Li said..." Behind him, a subordinate grumbled, pointing at Xia Wanfu, wanting to say something.
The leader, Brother Li, raised his hand to stop him. He unhurriedly lit a cigarette and said calmly, "Let's wait. There's no need to argue with a woman."
He then glanced at Xia Yichen, who was huddled on the sofa, a look of contempt flashing in his eyes.
He had come twice, and the man hadn't dared to make a sound.
Every time, a woman had to step forward.
"Thank you." Xia Wanfu bowed slightly, her heart filled with complex emotions.